Walter Ernest Bruesch lived with his family as a boy in Grant County, New Mexico, during the time Billy The Kid was roaming that area. His father, John Jacob, was a butcher and supplied the nearby Army Post with all of their beef.
The family left New Mexico in a covered wagon for the West Coast and eventually settled in Almo, Idaho.
Walter grew up in Almo and as a young man he got jobs breaking horses for different neighbors. During World War I he enlisted in the army and in 1918 he was discharged and after returning home to Almo he met and married Nellie Loveland, the daughter of Eliza R. Harper and Chester Loveland, the sheriff of Cassia County, Idaho. After the marriage they moved to Ogden, Utah and had three children, Pauline, Walter, and LaVerda.
During this time in Ogden Walter was employed by the Ogden Fire Department and during the years as a fireman chief, the City of Ogden awarded him with a service award for having the longest record. He served 34 years in the Fire Department, retired and started working in the Water Department where he served for another 4 years. He was cited for many brave acts as a fireman and was a devoted husband and father.
After he retired, with 40 years for the City of Ogden, Walter moved with Nellie to Hemet, California to help his son, Walter L., run their mobile park, the "Palm Villa" in Hemet, California.
In April 1967 Nellie died and years later, Walter married Noma Marie Marsh, and they lived together in California until Walter's death in September of 1976.
He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Cypress, California.